Essex Police will send a £370,000 bill to their London counterparts for officers deployed in the riots.

Officers were brought off rest days to minimise disruption from August 6 to early September.

A spokesman said he expects the Metropolitan Police to fully reimburse the costs.

Roy Scanes, secretary of the Essex Police Federation, said some Essex officers worked 20-hour shifts in the capital. He said: “The Metropolitan Police are our colleagues and they should get the support they deserve. It is normal, when talking about mutual aid, the force requesting help pays the bill.”

He said Government plans to cut officers would leave Essex hard-pushed to supply the same number of officers in the future.